The prior art search covering literature, patents and industrial survey reveals the following technologies for manufacture of cricket balls, specifically the step of decorative stitching. In FIG. 1 of the drawing accompanying this specification, a schematic drawing of a cricket ball is given showing the decorative stitching. In the drawings (A) denotes decorative stitching and (B) denotes seam stitching.
The cricket balls are generally manufactured completely by manual process. For providing decorative stitching the two hemispherical cups are prepunched circumferentially in two rows and they are stitched with curved needle which passes at about an angle of 15° through prepunched holes. This manual operation usually takes stitching time of around 1 hr for one hemispherical cup. As the quality of stitching mainly depends upon the skill of the operator, it is very difficult to get consistent quality stitching and it varies from individual to individual.
It may be noted there are international standards specify the spacing between the rows of stitches and also total number of stitches on the circumference for each row. It is, however, not possible to obtain the stitches with the help of any existing standard machine. Reference may be made to patent no. GB 2097320 dated Mar. 11, 1982 which comprises of placing two cover forming pieces in a spherical cavity of a mould. A suitable core forming material such as polyurethane is injected into the space between the said pieces so as to form, after setting a core for the ball which also connects the two pieces together. Each of said pieces may be provided around its periphery with one or more rows of stitching which project outwardly so as together to form a seam for the completed ball. This method does not describe the decorative stitching and it is useful only for joining two hemispherical cups. Decorative stitching specialty on cricket ball surface is guided by International Standards. In order to maintain the specified standard, it is essential to have a two needle sewing system. The existing two needle system cannot be used to provide the specified decorative stitching on cricket balls for the following reasons:                a) Distance between needles of existing two needle system is much more than what is required for decorative stitching.        b) Two needles cannot be held closely apart with the existing two needle holding system.        c) Proper needle looper interaction is not possible within the extremely narrow space of the order of less than 1 mm between the two needles with the existing two needle system.        
To the best of the Applicant's knowledge, there is no machine existing anywhere in the world for providing a finished cricket ball in general and for providing decorative stitching in particular.